4-Story Parking Garage Coming To Downtown Ridgewood

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — The Village Council approved a $12 million bond ordinance Wednesday to construct a four-story, 240-space parking garage on Hudson Street near the train station.

The Village Council approved the ordinance 5-0.

Mayor Ramon Hache said the debate around the parking garage went on "for way too long."

"What's happening is that our Central Business District is being constrained," Hache said. "If you don't bring more parking there, it will go into a death spiral. We've had some major retailers turn away from Ridgewood because the parking shortage just doesn't work for them."

Parking meter rates will increase to help fund the project. Fifty-cent hourly meters will increase to 75 cents Sept. 4. The $1.25-an-hour meters may increase to $1.50.

Residents spoke out against the rate increase.

"If parking revenues don’t wind up paying for this then they’re will be no other way to fund this other than tax increase," Boyd Loving said. "It’s all falling on the backs of the taxpayers and the parkers.”

Others suggested raising the hourly rate from 50 cents to $1.25.

"Please make sure that the parking system will pay for 100 percent of the garage," said Steve Olson.

The $12 million bond is in addition to the $810,000 appropriated for the project; $100,000 was appropriated in 2014, $500,000 in 2015 and $210,000 earlier this year.

Vehicles will enter and exit the garage on Hudson Street. Construction is expected to begin in September and the existing lot on Hudson Street will remain open until then.

The garage has had an arduous history.

Voters approved a design of a 400-car garage on the site in a nonbinding referendum in November 2015 by a 2-to-1 margin. They also, by the same margin, rejected an $11.5 million bond ordinance in June 2015 that would have funded the building of a 325-car garage after a grassroots campaign by residents put the matter on the public ballot.

The Planning Board last year voted to recommend the Village Council designate the Hudson Street parking lot as an "area in need of redevelopment" in order to move the project along.

Former Mayor Paul Aronsohn and ex-village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld were fined due to a video they appeared in relating to the garage. They appeared in a video urging residents to vote "yes" on the original referendum in 2015. The fines were the result of a complaint filed with the Local Finance Board in 2016. The board enforces the Local Government Ethics Law. Six residents also sued the village over the video.

Email daniel.hubbard@patch.com

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